This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. Good morning, I'm David Greene.

It's been pretty warm here on the East Coast the last few days. No, check that - it has been downright scorching. Temperatures have climbed so high many cities warned residents that they should avoid strenuous activity and stay hydrated.

From member station WHYY, Elizabeth Fiedler reports on how some are beating the heat in Philadelphia.

(SOUNDBITE OF WATER AND CHILDREN LAUGHING)

ELIZABETH FIEDLER, BYLINE: The heat doesn't seem to be bothering Elijah Snyder. Of course, he is sprinting back and forth through a big water fountain.

(SOUNDBITE OF WATER AND CHILDREN LAUGHING)

FIEDLER: The 5-year-old is surrounded by about a dozen other children in bathing-suits. While parents look on from nearby benches, the kids splash around in the jets of water at Philadelphia's Sister Cities Park.

Micah Straight isn't afraid to get wet while taking care of his three young daughters.

MICHAEL STRAIGHT: Yeah. That's OK, Hazel.

We're making sure they drink a lot of water and eat fruit. And we have the air conditioning running in the house.

FIEDLER: And who is this you're feeding grapes right now?

STRAIGHT: This is Louisa. She just had her first birthday last week. And she loves the water just like her big sisters.

FIEDLER: Kam Tavakkoli is from Virginia, says he's not crazy about the weather.

What's it like to be a tourist on vacation with two little kids when it's this hot?

KAM TAVAKKOLI: It's hard. But at the same time, it's rewarding when you find something like this right in the middle of the city. This is really good. This is a good idea I think for everyone.

FIEDLER: Even adults come to cool off. Christopher Dais gives in to temptation and ducks his head into a plume of water.

CHRISTOPHER DAIS: It's a hot day and I need to be cooled off, I did. That's why. Don't want to dehydrate yourself out here. Just stay cool and be calm.

FIEDLER: Down the street, leaving the library, one North Philadelphian says he has a plan to deal with the heat. He's going to pass the time in the air conditioning with the DVDs and book he just picked up.